Mounting ring for water closet coupling and method of installation

ABSTRACT

A replaceable mounting ring is disclosed for use with a water closet coupling which is interposed between a water closet drain and a sewer pipe. The mounting ring fits on a channel in a flange near the inlet end of the water closet coupling. The mounting ring comprises two arcuate members, each having a U-shaped cross section formed by a base and a leg on each side of the base, with the base having a lower surface between the two legs. A corresponding end of each arcuate member has an extension from the lower surface of its base of a size which allows the extension to engage the lower surface of the base of the opposite end of the other arcuate member. These extensions enable the ends of the arcuate members to form a mounting ring having a U-shaped cross section. At least one of these extensions can be fastened to the other arcuate member by a pivot joint which allows that arcuate member to be rotated through an opening in the leg on the outside of the other arcuate member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to couplings for connecting water closet drainsto sewer pipes, and more particularly, it relates to a mounting ringwhich secures the coupling to a water closet and to an adjacent floorwhen desired.

In recent years plastic water closet couplings have been used to connectthe drains of water closets to sewer pipes. These water closet couplingsare normally made out of plastic materials such as PVC and ABS.Generally speaking water closet couplings comprise a connecting pipewhich is solvent bonded onto the sewer pipe, an extension toward thewater closet forming a flange with a radially extending channel near theinlet end of the coupling and a mounting ring retained within thechannel. These water closet couplings are normally sold as a single unitwhich is referred to as a closet flange.

The mounting ring normally has holes in it which enable it to befastened to the floor, thereby securing the coupling to the floor. Themounting ring also normally has arcuate slots formed within it. After awax ring is placed about the inlet end of the coupling, the drain of thewater closet is set within the coupling so that a base portion of thewater closet fits over the mounting ring. The base has holes in it withbolts mounted at positions within the base which enable heads of thebolts to extend through a widened portion of the arcuate slots of themounting ring. The water closet is rotated slightly to fit the heads ofthe bolts under the mounting ring. The bolts, when tightened, thusfasten the water closet to the mounting ring and in turn to the floor.Assemblies of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,268 issued onMar. 16, 1967 to Blumenkranz and U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,780 issued on Dec.4, 1973 to McEwen. One such assembly is shown in FIG. 1 and describedbelow.

The load of the water closet is transmitted through the mounting ring.Thus, over a period of time after the installation of a water closet asdescribed above, it is not unusual to find that the mounting ringbreaks. This normally occurs in the vicinity of the arcuate slots, wherethe mounting ring is connected to the water closet. The mounting ringsoften break due to the stress from the water closet on the mounting ringin the area of the arcuate slots or due to rust or corrosion. As aresult, the broken mounting ring has lost its seal and unsanitary liquidleaks from the water closet.

In the past, a number of different methods have been used to repairbroken mounting rings. The most common practice has been to disconnectthe water closet from the broken mounting ring and the rest of thecloset flange and then remove and replace the existing closet flange.Since the existing closet flange has normally been solvent-bonded to thesewer pipe for installation and sanitary purposes, the sewer pipe isoften cut at the level where the existing closet flange ends. This is aneffort which can be difficult and time-consuming. It sometimes caninvolve tearing out and replacing portions of the floor beneath thewater closet or in some cases even a ceiling below the water closet.

As a result, there have been a number of developments attempting torepair broken mounting rings, rather than replacing them. The patentsrelating to these developments include U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,630 issued onJun. 17, 1980 to Bressler which discloses the use of a spanner clamp orflange which extends beneath and support the portion of the mountingring which has failed. However, since this spanner flange is an extramember which is not an integral portion of the mounting ring, it issubject to potential displacement from the position in which it ismounted. The original problem would then reoccur.

An anchoring device and method for anchoring a toilet to a broken watercloset ring are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,694 issued Jun. 22,1993, to Knorovsky. The anchoring device includes two arcuate memberswhich can be positioned about a broken mounting ring, with their flatsurfaces located directly beneath a radial plane of ring. The ends ofthe radial members are secured together to support the damaged mountingring. However, the mounting ring can continue to deteriorate until theanchoring device itself can fall off.

Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,372 issued on Feb. 20, 1996 toDranberg, has proposed to replace the original mounting ring with areplacement ring comprising two arcuate pieces. Starting at column 3,line 13, the Dranberg patent contrasts the U-shaped profile of theoriginal mounting ring with two generally flat arcuate pieces itdiscloses as a replacement.

The replacement ring described in the Dranberg patent is shown in FIG.2. Each arcuate piece 10 has a stepped-up end 11 which overlaps a flatend 12 of the other piece to enable the pieces 10 to be connectedtogether by fasteners 13. Four holes 14 are included in the arcuatepieces 10 to enable the replacement ring to be fastened to the floornear a water closet. Each arcuate piece 10 also has a stepped-up section15 having a slot 16 in it to accommodate a bolt or other connection ofthe replacement ring to a water closet. At these four stepped-up areasthe strength of the wax seal placed upon the ring is potentiallycompromised since there is a discontinuity in the surface of thereplacement ring leading to them.

As seen in FIG. 2, inner edges 16 of the stepped-up overlapping ends 11and inner edges 17 of the stepped up sections 15 are offset from thebalance of the arcuate pieces 10 shown in the Dranberg Patent to enablethe inner edges of the balance of the arcuate pieces to engage thechannel in the closet flange. Thus, while the total circumference of theoriginal mounting ring contacted the channel of the closet flange, asmaller portion of the circumference of the Dranberg patent'sreplacement ring contacts that channel. This decreases the strength andrigidity of the attachment of the ring to the closet flange.Additionally, by having a flat cross section rather than the U-shapedcross section of the original ring, the replacement ring does not havethe additional strength and stability obtained from a channel-shapedcross section.

There is a closet flange currently being manufactured and sold which ismolded in total as a single piece of plastic material. That is, thatcloset flange does not have a separate mounting ring installed on it.Rather, the flange portion of the closet flange is extended radially adistance sufficient to include the arcuate slots required to attach awater closet to it and to include the holes in it to be used to fastenthe closet flange to the floor. Thus, if the extended flange portion ofthis closet flange is broken, it normally cannot be readily repairedbecause the plastic extended flange is integral with the rest of thecloset flange. The replacement ring shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,372cannot be installed on it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a mounting ring which can be used with a watercloset coupling interposed between a water closet drain and a sewerpipe, with the coupling having a flange near its inlet end which forms aradially extending channel that can retain the mounting ring. Themounting ring comprises two arcuate members each having a U-shaped crosssection formed by a base and a leg on each side of the base. The basehas a lower surface between the two legs consisting of a first leg atthe inside of the arc of the arcuate members and a second leg at theoutside of the arc of the arcuate members. Each arcuate member has a lipextending radially inwardly from the first leg with an inside diameterwhich allows it to engage the sides of the channel formed by the flangeso that each arcuate member can be retained on the water closetcoupling.

A corresponding end of each arcuate member has an extension from thelower surface of its base of a size which enables the extension toengage the lower surface of the base of the opposite end of the otherarcuate member. These extensions enable the ends of the arcuate membersto be fitted together to form a mounting ring having a U-shaped crosssection. Fasteners are used to connect each extension to the base of theother arcuate member. Each of the arcuate members has a slot formedwithin it for connecting a mounting ring to the water closet. Each ofthe arcuate members also has holes within it for connecting the mountingring to the floor near the water closet.

In accordance with another aspect of this invention, a plastic mountingring comprises two plastic arcuate members each having a flat upperprofile, a flat lower profile and a predetermined thickness. Eachplastic arcuate member has a lip extending radially inwardly with aninside diameter which allows it to engage the sides of the channelformed by the flange on the water closet coupling on which it is to bemounted. A corresponding first end of each arcuate member has a notch ofa pre-selected length and a pre-selected height out of the lower levelof its thickness. A second corresponding end of each arcuate member hasan extension which is coplanar with its flat lower profile. Thisextension has a thickness equal to the height of the notch and a lengthno greater than the length of the notch. This enables the extension onthe second end of each arcuate member to fit within the notch on thefirst end of the other arcuate member to form a plastic mounting ringwhich has a flat upper profile and a flat lower profile.

In accordance with still another aspect of this invention, a flangeformation of an installed water closet coupling, which has its installedconnecting pipe attached to a sewer pipe, can be replaced withoutremoving the total water closet coupling. The flange formation is cutaway from the installed water closet coupling so that no remainingportion of the installed water closet coupling is wider than theinstalled connecting pipe. In the preferred embodiment of this inventiona circular saw is used for this purpose. Additionally, a replacementwater closet coupling is provided having a replacement connecting pipewith an inside diameter greater than the outside diameter of theinstalled connecting pipe to an extent which causes the replacementconnecting pipe to fit closely around the installed connecting pipe. Thereplacement water closet coupling is installed by mounting thereplacement connecting pipe around the installed connecting pipe.

This invention does not reside in any one of the features of themounting rings and method of installing mounting rings which aredisclosed above and in the Detailed Description of the preferredembodiments and claimed below. Rather, this invention is distinguishedfrom the prior art by its particular combination of features of themounting ring and method of installing mounting rings which aredisclosed. Important features of this invention have been described toillustrate the best mode contemplated to date for carrying out thisinvention.

Those skilled in the art will realize that this invention is capable ofembodiments which are different from those shown in the details of themounting ring and method of installing mounting rings and can be changedin various manners without departing from the scope of this invention.Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded asillustrative in nature and are not to restrict the scope of thisinvention. Thus, the claims are to be regarded as including suchequivalent mounting rings and methods of installing mounting rings as tonot depart from the spirit and scope of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding and appreciation of this invention andmany of its advantages, reference should be made to the followingdetailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingstherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a water closet coupling whichincludes a mounting ring and is installed between a watzr closet drainand a sewer pipe;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a prior art replacement ring;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of two arcuate members of a mounting ringin accordance with one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an assembled mounting ring of thisinvention using the two arcuate members shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting ring shown in FIG. 4,taken along the line 5--5;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the mounting ring shown in FIG. 4,taken along the line 6--6;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate fastening arrangementfor arcuate members of the mounting ring;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate extension for one endof the arcuate members of the mounting ring;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a mounting ring in accordance withAnother aspect of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a side view of the mounting ring shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows pivoted arcuate members of the mounting ring shown in FIG.9;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a water closet coupling having asolid plastic mounting ring;

FIG. 13 is a partially exploded, perspective view of a solid plasticmounting ring in accordance with another aspect of this invention,installed as part of a water closet coupling;

FIGS. 14A-14E illustrate a method of installing a replacement watercloset coupling.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings, identical reference numerals and lettersdesignate the same or corresponding parts throughout the several figuresshown.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a typical installation whichconnects a water closet drain 20 to a sewer pipe 22 using a water closetcoupling 24 which is often referred to as a closet flange. The watercloset drain 20 includes a base 26 extending around its periphery andhaving two diametrically opposed bolt holes 28 in it, one of which isshown on the right side of FIG. 1. Each of these bolt holes 28 has abolt 30 which is mounted within it having a head 32 beneath the base 26and a nut 34 located above the base 26 and beneath a bolt cover 36. Thebase 26 of the water closet drain 20 sits on floor 39 in the area inwhich the water closet is being installed.

The water closet coupling comprises a connecting pipe 38 which fitsaround the sewer pipe 22 and is solvent bonded to it. The water closetcoupling 24 further includes a frusto-conically shaped extension 40which has a flange 42 near its inlet end that forms a radially extendingchannel 44. The channel 44 extends about the circumference of the flange42. An internal shoulder 46 is included within the water closet coupling24 at the area where the coupling 24 is to meet the top of the sewerpipe 22.

The water closet coupling 24 further includes a mounting ring 48 havingU-shaped cross section which extends continuously about the flange 42.It is this mounting ring 48 which maintains the water closet coupling 24in the position in which it is mounted. The mounting ring 22 has a lip50 extending radially inwardly with an inside diameter which allows itto engage the sides of the channel 44 formed by the flange 42 whilebeing able to rotate within the channel 44. This lip 50 extends aboutthe circumference of the mounting ring 48 so that it engages the totalcircumference of the channel 44. A mounting ring of this type is shownin U.S. Pat. No. 3,319,268.

The mounting ring 48 has a pair of arcuate slots 52 formed within it.The arcuate slots 52 are similar to the arcuate slots in many of themounting rings used with the water closets manufactured in recent years,including the slot 13 in the prior art replacement ring shown in FIG. 2.The arcuate slots 52 are also included in the mounting rings of thisinvention shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Each of the slots typically has anexpanded end 54 which enables the head 32 of the bolt 30 to extendwithin the U-shaped profile of the mounting ring. The mounting ring 48also includes a number of holes 56 about its circumference, one of whichis shown in the left side of FIG. 1. These holes are normallycountersunk so as to accommodate the matching heads of screws, such asthe screw 58, inserted in them and screwed directly into the floor 38 toattach the mounting ring 48 to the floor.

A wax ring 60 is placed on the inlet end of the closet flange 24 to forma seal between the water closet drain 20 and the closet flange 24,including the frusto-conically shaped extension 40, the flange 42 andthe mounting ring 48.

Closet flanges such as the closet flange 24 are normally obtained in anassembled condition prior to installation with the mounting ring 48rotatably mounted within the channel 44 of the flange 42. Bondingsolvent is coated on the inside surface of the connecting pipe 38, andthen the connecting pipe 38 is installed around the sewer pipe 22 sothat the top of the sewer pipe 22 contacts the internal shoulder 46. Theslots 52 are located in the proper position for mounting the watercloset. The screws 58 are then inserted through the holes 56 in themounting ring 48 and twisted into the flooring 38. The wax ring 60 isplaced around the top of the flange 42 to create a seal between thewater closet drain 20 and the water closet coupling 24, including themounting ring 48. The water closet drain 20 is then placed on the waxring 60 and the closet flange 24 so that the head 32 of each of the twobolts 30 passes through the expanded areas 54 of the slots 52 and intothe slots 52. The nut 34 on each of the bolts 30 is tightened so thatthe base 26 of the water closet drain 20, and thus the water closetitself, is firmly attached to the mounting ring.

In accordance with this invention, a mounting ring 62 is provided, asshown in FIGS. 3 and 4, having a structure which allows it to besubstituted for the mounting ring 48 shown in FIG. 1. The mounting ring62 retains many of the features of the mounting ring 48. Thus, themounting ring 62 of this invention is desirable for use both as anoriginal mounting ring and as a replacement for damaged mounting ringson water closet couplings. The mounting ring 62 has a structure whichallows it to be easily installed on a water closet flange whilemaintaining a flat upper surface and a structurally sound U-shapedprofile.

The mounting ring 62 comprises two arcuate members 64 which can beidentical in structure. Each arcuate member 64 has a U-shaped crosssection, shown in FIG. 5, consisting of a base 66, an outer leg 68 atthe outside of the arc and an inner leg 70 on the inside of the arc. Thearcuate members 64 each have a lip 50 extending radially inwardly fromthe inner leg 70 which is identical to the lip 50 of the mounting ring48 shown in FIG. 1. The base 66 has a lower surface 72 located betweenthe outer leg 68 and the inner leg 70.

A corresponding end of each arcuate member 64 has an extension 74 fromthe lower surface 72 of the base 66. This extension 74 is narrower thanthe width of the lower surface 72 between the legs 68 and 70 on eachside of the U-shaped cross section. Thus, the extensions 74 can eachengage the lower surface 72 of the base 66 of the opposite end 75 of theother arcuate member. See FIG. 6 by way of example. This enables thearcuate members 64 to be assembled into a mounting ring 62. Theresulting mounting ring 62 has a continuous upper surface forming thebase 66 and a continuous inside surface forming the inside leg 70 andthe lip 50. It is important to the functioning of the mounting ring tokeep upper surfaces of the base and the surface of inside leg 70 ascontinuous as possible since they form the seat of the wax ring 60during installation. See FIG. 1. These continuous surfaces minimize anypotential for a leak to occur between the wax seal 60 and a replacementring.

Each of the extensions 74 has a hole 76 in it, while the opposite end ofeach arcuate member 64 has a corresponding, countersunk hole 78. Theholes 78 and 76 allow a fastener 80 to be placed in them to join thearcuate members 64. FIG. 4 shows bolts 80 which can be placed into theholes 78 and 76 to fasten the arcuate pieces 64 together to form themounting ring 62.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ends of the arcuate pieces 64shown in FIG. 4, taken along the line 6--6. It shows one of manypossible arrangements for fastening extension 74 of one arcuate member64 to end 75 of the other. In FIG. 6 threads are cut within the hole 76,and the bolt 80 is screwed into those threads.

FIG. 7 shows another arrangement for fastening together the ends of thearcuate members 64. A nut 82 is welded or otherwise attached to thelower surface 72 beneath the hole 76. The hole 76 is partiallycountersunk to accommodate the bolt 80. The bolt 80 can then be screwedinto the nut 82 to fasten the extension 74 of one arcuate member 64 tothe end 75 of the other.

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of this invention in which an extension74A comprises material which is different from that of the base 66 andthe arcuate members 64. The extension 74A is itself fastened to thelower surface 72 of the base 66. The extension 74A could be fastened tothe base 66 through welding or through the use of a bolt or screw or anyother convenient fastening method or mechanism. As shown in FIG. 8, thematerial 74A forming the extension includes a hole 76A which ispartially countersunk to accommodate the head of the bolt 80. The hole76A is also tapped so that the bolt 80 can be screwed into it.

The mounting ring 62 can be made of stainless steel or powder coatedgalvanized steel or aluminum or any other type of metal or plastic whichcan withstand the forces transmitted from an attached water closet andcan withstand potential continued dampness caused by liquid drainingfrom a water closet drain. Stainless steel or aluminum bolts or screws,or any other type of bolt or screw or fastener found to be effective ina potentially damp environment, can be used to hold the arcuate members64 together as a continuous mounting ring 62. The U-shaped portion ofeach arcuate member is preferably semi-circular in shape, allowing themto be mass produced from one type of tooling and readily packaged.However, it would be possible to make one of the arcuate members largerthan a semi-circle and correspondingly smaller if desired.

FIGS. 9-11 show another embodiment of this invention wherein arcuatemembers 64B and 64C are connected to one another by a pivot joint toform the mounting ring 62B. The pivot joint consists of extension 74B atone end of arcuate member 64B, a hole 78B in an end 75B of arcuatemember 64C as well as a bolt 80B and a nut 82B, shown in FIG. 10. Thebolt 80B passes through a hole 78B in the arcuate member 74B and througha hole 76B in extension 74B to join the arcuate members 64B and 64C.Material has been removed from the outside leg 68B of arcuate member64C. As a result, an opening 86 is formed in the outside leg 68B at theend 75B of the arcuate member 64C. Additionally, material must beremoved from outside corner 84 at the end 75B of the arcuate member 64Cto allow the corner 84 to rotate past the end 75 of the arcuate member64B.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the opening 86 and the rounded corner 84allow the extension 74B of arcuate member 64B to pivot within theU-shaped structure of arcuate member 64C. Thus the arcuate members 64Band 64C can be rotated away from one another and then toward one anotheras the mounting ring 62B is installed on a water closet coupling.

The ends of the arcuate members 64B and 64C opposite the pivot joint canbe constructed in the same manner as the ends forming the pivot jointare constructed. This enables the arcuate members to be mass producedand assembled using one design and one set of tooling. Alternatively,the ends of the arcuate members opposite the pivot joint could beconstructed in a manner similar to the ends shown in FIGS. 3-8, as longas the open ends of the assembly can be joined together duringinstallation of the mounting ring 62B. The balance of the structure ofthe mounting ring 62B can be the same as is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 andhas been numbered similarly.

As a result of the use of the pivot joint between the arcuate members64B and 64C, the mounting member 62B is assembled in one piece before itis installed on a water closet coupling. Thus, the mounting ring 62B canbe held in one hand by a plumber or other person installing it, whilethe other hand fits inner lip 50 of the mounting ring 62B within thechannel formed by the flange near the inlet end of the water closetcoupling. See the channel 44 and the flange 42 of the water closetcoupling 24 shown in FIG. 1. The ends of the arcuate members 64B and 64Copposite the pivot joint are then secured together with an appropriatefastener.

FIGS. 9-11 show one structure of a pivot joint in accordance with apreferred embodiment of this invention. Those skilled in the art willrecognize that pivot joints can be constructed in a number of differentforms.

There are some water closet couplings on the market which use plasticmounting rings. One type of plastic mounting ring being used is a flatmounting ring 88 shown in FIG. 12. The mounting ring 88 is separate froma flange 90 of a water closet coupling 92 and has a lip 96 located atits inside diameter. The flange 90 forms a channel 94 which is engagedby the lip 96. The sizes of the lip 96 and the inside diameter of themounting ring 88 normally allow the mounting ring 88 to be rotated aboutthe flange 90 so as to properly locate arcuate slots (not shown in FIG.12) in the proper position for mounting a water closet.

In accordance with this invention, and as shown in FIG. 13, mountingring 98 is provided which comprises a pair of arcuate members 100 and102. The arcuate members 100 and 102 also have a lip 104 which islocated on their inside diameter. The lip 104 engages a channel 94formed by the flange 90 so as to support the mounting ring 98 on thecloset coupling 92. As shown in FIG. 13 the mounting ring 98 has slots52 with expanded areas 54 for mounting a water closet drain. Themounting ring 98 also has holes 56 for screws to fasten the ring 98 to afloor where a water closet is to be installed. These slots 52, expandedareas 54 and holes 56 can be the same as those used in any othermounting ring.

In further accordance with this invention the arcuate members 100 and102 form lap joints with one another at the two areas where they meet.The arcuate members 100 and 102 are made of plastic material having aflat upper profile and a flat lower profile. An end 106 of arcuatemember 102 has a notch 108 out of the lower level of its thickness. Thenotch 108 has a predetermined length and a predetermined height. Anextension 110 from one end of the arcuate member 100 has a thicknesssubstantially equal to the height of the notch 108 and has a length nogreater than the length of the notch 108. This allows the extension 110to fit within the notch 108, forming a lap joint which maintains theflat upper and lower profiles of the mounting ring. The opposite end 112of the arcuate member 100 also has a notch (not shown) out of the lowerlevel of its thickness which is identical to notch 108. Similarly,arcuate member 102 has an extension 114 identical to extension 110located at its end which is opposite from notched end 106. The extension114 fits into the notch (not shown) in the end 112 to maintain the flatupper and lower profiles of the mounting ring when it is assembled.

Each of the ends 106 and 112 has a hole 116 of sufficient size toreceive a bolt or a screw or other fastener used to connect these endsto the extensions 110 and 112, respectively. Similarly, each of theextensions 110 and 114 has a hole 118 in it to receive the fastenerthrough the holes 116. The holes 118 can be tapped, if desired, toretain the threads of a bolt or a screw. Any other arrangement known tothose skilled in the art can be used to cause fasteners to hold the lapjoints together. It is preferable to removably fasten the ends 106 and112 to the extensions 110 and 114, respectively, to complete the lapjoints which form the mounting ring. However, if desired, the lap jointscan be formed by bonding the ends 106 and 112 to the extensions 110 and114, respectively.

The resulting mounting ring 98 can be easily assembled and installed inthe plastic water closet flange 92 initially before the water closetflange 92 itself is installed between a water closet drain and a sewerpipe. The mounting ring 98 can also be installed on the water closetflange 92 as a replacement for a mounting ring which was initiallyincluded on the water closet flange. In either event the assembledmounting ring 98 will have not only a structure which allows it to beeasily assembled on a water closet coupling, but also a flat profilewhich allows the ring 98 to form a consistent seal between itself and awax seal installed between it and a water closet drain.

Alternatively, the arcuate members 100 and 102 could be joined togetherby making one of the lap joints into a pivot joint. By way of examplethe outside corner of the end 106 and the outside corner of theextension 110 could be rounded or otherwise cut away. The amount of thematerial removed from these corners would be sufficient to allow thearcuate members 100 and 102 to pivot away from one another and thentoward one another after the end 106 has been attached to extension 100by a fastener through holes 116 and 118. The plastic mounting ring 98could then be used in the same manner as the mounting ring 62B shown inFIGS. 9-11.

There are water closet couplings on the market that are one solid pieceof plastic. The mounting ring used for this type of water closetcoupling is molded onto the inlet end of the coupling and cannot berotated except by rotating the water closet coupling itself before it isbonded onto a sewer pipe.

A water closet coupling of this type comprises an installed water closetcoupling 120 shown in FIG. 14A. The installed water closet coupling 120includes a connecting pipe 122 and a flange formation 124 which isintegral with the connecting pipe 122. The installed water closetcoupling 120 also includes an internal shoulder 126 which is shown moreclearly in FIG. 14C.

The flange formation 124 can have the same type of holes 56 used inseparable mounting rings for attaching the water closet coupling 120 toflooring in the area where a water closet is to be installed. It canalso have slots 52 and expanded areas 54 of the type used in othermounting rings to receive bolts from a water closet. The connecting pipe122 of the water closet coupling 120 is shown installed on a sewer pipe128.

As indicated above, the fact that the flange formation 124 is molded aspart of the water closet coupling 120 makes the flange formation 124difficult to repair if it cracks once the water closet coupling 120 isinstalled on the sewer pipe 128. Prior to this invention there was noalternative to cutting off the water closet coupling 120 of the sectionof the sewer pipe 128 on which it was installed and installing a newwater closet flange on the sewer pipe. This often resulted in asignificant amount of work and cost.

A method of replacing a flange formation of an installed water closetcoupling is shown in FIGS. 14A-14E. The first act of this methodinvolves cutting the flange formation 124 away from the installed watercloset coupling 120 so that no portion of the installed water closetcoupling 120 is larger than the installed connecting pipe 122. In thepreferred embodiment of this invention, the flange formation is cutthrough the use of a circular saw 130 which can fit within the insidediameter of the flange formation 124. The flange formation 124 is thencut from the top of the installed connecting pipe 122 as shown in FIG.14B. The objective is to remove the flange formation 124 in such a waythat no remaining portion of the installed water closet coupling 120 iswider than the installed connecting pipe 122. Where plastic materialextends outside the installed connecting pipe 122 after the flangeformation 124 has been removed, a file or other appropriate tool mayhave to be used to remove the excess plastic material.

Next, a replacement water closet coupling 132 must be provided which hasa replacement connecting pipe 134 with an inside diameter greater thanthe outside diameter of the installed connecting pipe 122. See FIGS. 14Cand 14D. The inside diameter of the replacement connecting pipe 134should be slightly greater than the outside diameter of the connectingpipe 122 so that the replacement connecting pipe 134 fits closely aroundthe installed connecting pipe 122.

The replacement water closet coupling 132 can be of any design which isdesired by those skilled in the art. The replacement water closetcoupling 132 shown in FIG. 14C has a flange 136 about the circumferenceof its inlet end. The flange 136 forms a slot 138 which extends aroundthe full circumference of the replacement water closet coupling 132. Amounting ring of any convenient design could be included in the slot138. See mounting ring 140 shown in FIG. 14E by way of example. Thereplacement water closet coupling 132 can also have an internal shoulder142 which can rest on the top of the remaining portion of the installedwater closet coupling 120, formed about its internal circumference.

The replacement water closet coupling 132 is installed over the watercloset coupling 120 by installing a replacement connecting pipe 132around the installed connecting pipe 122. See FIGS. 14D and 14E.Normally, bonding material such as PVC Cement, manufactured by Oatey,4700 W. 160 St., Cleveland, Ohio. 44135, would be painted on either theinside surface of the replacement connecting pipe 134 or on the outsidesurface of the installed connecting pipe 122. This would then bond thereplacement water closet coupling 132 to the installed water closetcoupling 120.

If a mounting ring made in accordance with this invention such as themounting ring 62 shown in FIG. 3, was used as the mounting ring 140, itcould be added to the replacement water closet coupling 132 before theinstallation or at the end of the installation of this coupling as shownin FIG. 14E.

The method of the invention can also be used, if desired, to remove froma water closet coupling a flange of the type which has a mounting ringon it.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications can bemade to this invention without departing from its spirit and scope.Thus, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted to cover suchequivalents which do not depart from the spirit and scope of thisinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mounting ring for use with a water closetcoupling which can be interposed between a water closet drain and asewer pipe, the coupling having a flange near its inlet end which formsa radially extending channel that retains said mounting ring, saidmounting ring comprising:(a) two arcuate members each having a U-shapedcross section formed by a base and a first leg and a second leg; saidfirst leg located on the inside of the arc of each arcuate member andsaid second leg located on the outside of the arc of each arcuatemember, and said base having a lower inside surface between said legs;said first leg of each arcuate member having a lip extending radiallyinwardly with an inside diameter which allows said lip to engage thesides of the channel formed by the flange so that each arcuate membercan be retained on the coupling, a corresponding end of each arcuatemember having an extension from the lower inside surface of said base ofeach arcuate member of a size which enables said extension to engagesaid lower inside surface of said base of the end opposite saidcorresponding end of the other arcuate member to enable said arcuatemembers to be fitted together to form said mounting ring; said secondleg of at least one of said arcuate members including an openingadjacent the end of said arcuate member opposite said extension; saidextension of at least one of said arcuate members being fastenable tothe other arcuate member by a pivot joint which enables said at leastone arcuate member to be rotated with respect to the other arcuatemember through said opening in said second leg; (b) each of said arcuatemembers having a slot for connecting said mounting ring to the watercloset; and (c) each of said arcuate members having holes for connectingsaid mounting ring to a floor.
 2. The mounting ring according to claim 1which includes fasteners that connect each extension to the base of theother arcuate member.
 3. The mounting ring according to claim 1 in whichsaid lip extends substantially around the total circumference of saidring when said ring is assembled.
 4. The mounting ring according toclaim 1 in which each arcuate member forms a semicircle.
 5. The mountingring according to claim 1 in which said extension from the lower surfaceof said base of each arcuate member is formed from an extension of thematerial of said base.
 6. The mounting ring according to claim 1 inwhich said extension from the lower surface of said base of each arcuatemember is attached to the lower surface of said corresponding end ofeach arcuate member.
 7. The mounting ring according to claim 1 in whichsaid extension from said lower surface of said base of each arcuatemember is a piece of material which is separate from material comprisingsaid arcuate members, and said mounting ring includes removablefasteners, said removable fasteners connecting each extension to atleast the base of the other arcuate member.
 8. The mounting ringaccording to claim 7 in which said removable fasteners comprisefasteners having screw threads.
 9. The mounting ring according to claim1 in which said extension from said lower surface of said base of eacharcuate member is a piece of material which is separate from materialcomprising said arcuate members, and said mounting ring includesremovable fasteners, said removable fasteners connecting each extensionto be the base of both arcuate members.
 10. The mounting ring accordingto claim 9 in which said removable fasteners comprise fasteners havingscrew threads.
 11. A metal mounting ring for use with a water closetcoupling which can be interposed between a water closet drain and asewer pipe, the coupling having a flange near its inlet and which formsa radially extending channel that retains said mounting ring, saidmounting ring comprising:(a) two arcuate metal members each having aU-shaped cross section formed by a base and a first leg and a secondleg; said first leg located on the inside of the arc of each arcuatemember and said second leg located on the outside of the arc of eacharcuate member, and said base having a lower inside surface between saidlegs; said first leg of each arcuate member having a lip extendingradially inwardly with an inside diameter which allows said lip toengage the sides of the channel formed by the flange so that eacharcuate member can be retained on the coupling; said second leg of atleast one of said arcuate members including an opening adjacent an endof said arcuate member; (b) a pair of pieces of metal, each piece ofmetal having a width which enables it to contact the lower insidesurface of said base between said legs of said arcuate metal members anda length which enables each piece of metal to extend across the ends ofsaid two arcuate members when they are assembled into said mounting ringand to be fastened to each arcuate member; (c) fasteners having screwthreads, said fasteners having screw threads connecting at least one ofsaid pieces of metal to the base of at least one arcuate member; atleast one of said pieces of metal also being fastened by a pivot pointto said end of said at least one of said arcuate members which includessaid opening so as to enable the other of said arcuate members to berotated through said opening; (d) each of said arcuate members having aslot for connecting said mounting ring to the water closet; and (e) eachof said arcuate members having holes for connecting said mounting ringto a floor.
 12. The metal mounting ring according to claim 11 whichincludes additional fasteners having screw threads for connecting eachpiece of metal to the base of both arcuate members.